The "digital divide" between rich and poor countries is growing with developing countries still far behind in the use of broadband internet, the UN trade and development agency has warned.<\/p>\n
Developed countries are expected to reach a broadband penetration rate of 28 percent in 2008, while developing countries languish on just 3.0 percent, the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) said in a report issued late on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
"The diffusion of information and communications technology (ICT) in developing countries is growing but … such countries lag far behind the industrialised world in the application of ICT and its use by businesses," UNCTAD said in its "Information Economy Report 2007-2008."<\/p>\n
The gap has widened for broadband "due to the fast pace of technological development" and associated high costs, UNCTAD official Anh-Nga Tran-Nguyen said.<\/p>\n
UNCTAD has already highlighted broadband as a vital tool in economic development, saying last November that it is so vital for businesses that it should be considered a utility comparable to water and electricity.<\/p>\n
UNCTAD did note some progress in narrowing other aspects of the digital divide since its November 2006 report, particularly with the use of mobile phone technology.<\/p>\n
For 2008, it expects developing countries to reach a mobile penetration rate of nearly 50 percent, although this is still way behind developed countries which have reached saturation point with some rates above 100 percent.<\/p>\n
Mobile phone subscribers almost tripled in developing countries over the last five years and now make up 58 percent of global subscribers, UNCTAD said.<\/p>\n
"Mobile handsets provide a starting point for digital literacy," Tran-Nguyen said.<\/p>\n
"For many individuals and communities, once the initial hurdle of ICT acceptance has been overcome, the adoption of higher-level technologies may be less daunting," she added.<\/p>\n
UNCTAD urged the international community to take steps to bridge the digital divide, such as improving flexibility on intellectual property rights, boosting infrastructure in developing countries, establishing public-private partnerships for research and development, and promoting open access models.<\/p>\n
"Significant reductions in this divide will only be possible with the sustained support of the international community," the report said.<\/p>\n